2012 NFL Draft: 5 Reasons the New York Giants Must Nab a Tight End

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It's imperative that the New York Giants add a tight end this offseason.

Aside from the injuries suffered in Super Bowl XLVI, there are numerous reasons why the Giants would benefit from drafting a tight end in the 2012 NFL Draft.

While there are a few big-name tight ends on the free-agent market, the draft provides a considerable option for the G-Men to draft a tight end, like they did with Jake Ballard and Kevin Boss.

Here are five reasons the Giants should draft a tight end in the draft:

It'll Bolster an Already Potent Passing Offense

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Adding a playmaking tight end to an already dynamic passing offense would be ideal.

New York finished fifth in terms of total passing yards during the 2011 regular season and also ranked No. 5 at 296 YPG.

Eli Manning had the best season of his eight, throwing for 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Manning also set an NFL record, tossing 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns and proving himself to be a clutch QB.

No. 10's tight ends played a small role in Manning's career season as they combined for just five touchdowns during the regular season.

It was the Giants' wideouts that proved to be most explosive during the regular season, as Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz each surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and combined for 16 touchdowns. 

Adding another offensive weapon would only improve an already high-powered Giants' offense.

Injuries

Super Bowl XLVI depleted the Giants' tight ends.

Both Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard went down in Indianapolis with torn ACLs and are expected to begin the 2012 season on the PUP list, leaving Bear Pascoe as the top TE on the depth chart heading into the 2012 season.

That leaves an enormous gap for the Giants, as Pascoe caught just 12 passes for 136 yards and zero touchdowns during the regular season.

Furthermore, Pascoe is a restricted free agent and is not guaranteed to be back in blue next season.

The only other player at the tight end position is Christian Hopkins, who is a practice squad tight end.

Aside from adding offense, injuries have to be the top reason why New York needs to add a tight end in the draft.

And even if Beckum and Ballard return healthy next season, New York will likely still look to upgrade the TE position.

Dwayne Allen Is Available

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The 6'4", 255-pound tight end from Clemson is a perfect fit for the Giants.

He's slightly shorter and lighter than Ballard and Pascoe, but is still effective as a blocker in the running game.

And then, of course, there's his offensive ability. 

Allen set career highs across the board in 2011, accumulating 48 receptions, 577 yards and eight touchdowns for the Tigers.

Allen's 2011 performance resulted in his winning of the John Mackey Award, which is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end.

If the Giants were to draft Allen and receive a healthy Ballard back on the field, New York would boast a solid tight end tandem.

It may not be that of the Patriots' caliber, but it would still be a stronger duo than most in the league possess. 

Allen is a guy who can immediately enter the NFL and be an effective rookie weapon, especially working alongside a veteran like Eli Manning. 

Tight Ends Are the New Thing

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Explosive tight ends are the new fad in the NFL.

Guys like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Aaron Hernandez, Jason Witten, Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Dustin Keller, Fred Davis, Antonio Gates and Jermichael Finley have become the standard for offensive tight ends in the NFL.

Gronkowski, Graham and Witten each led their teams in receiving, displaying the skill sets of the 21st century tight end. 

The tight end position is no longer viewed as a primary blocking and occasional receiving position on the field, and the Giants are looking to join the club.

While Pascoe has proved to be more of a run blocking tight end, Ballard has emerged as the Giants' leading offensive tight end, contributing 38 receptions, 604 yards and four touchdowns, which is why his injury has such a major impact on the Giants' offense.

Whether it's through the draft or through free agency (with the likes of Finley, Davis and John Carlson), the Giants need to add a starting tight end.

They Can Upgrade from 2011

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The New York Giants' Super Bowl-winning squad featured an invaluable receiving corp.

Unfortunately, the Big Blue tight ends didn't play too big of a role in the passing game.

As a whole, the three Giants' tight ends combined for a mere 55 receptions, 833 yards and five touchdowns.

There were five tight ends in the NFL last season who had more yards than the three Giants tight ends combined, and 11 who had more touchdowns than Ballard, Beckum and Pascoe combined.

The Giants haven't had a major offensive weapon at TE since Jeremy Shockey's 2005 season when he ranked second on the team in receptions (65) and yards (891) and tied for first on the team in touchdowns with seven. 

New York's tight ends did what was necessary to bring a championship to New York, but the Giants can undoubtedly upgrade for the upcoming season.